Offline Dangers, the Difference Between Safe Zones

When the countdown reached zero, the players bathed in the glow of experience points were overjoyed.

A soft, golden glow hung from the sky, and a status indicator appeared in everyone's chat, showing a one-day duration.

"Heavenly Sweet Rain: Gain abundant experience every second based on your level, with the effect lasting for 24 hours."

"What a free gift... This is wonderful! I've never felt this relaxed since entering the God's Domain."

"The light felt warm as it fell on me."

"My experience points are increasing so fast! It's even faster than when I leveled up on my own!"

"Why are my earnings lower than yours? Is it because of the difference in levels?"

"Are you stupid? The instructions clearly state that the rewards are calculated based on level. The higher the level, the greater the rewards."

"Those of you who are about to level up, hurry up and break through!"

"That's right, you'll gain experience every second after leveling up."

"Let's form a team! We're recruiting for an all-nighter!"

"Our guild has already taken action, and we are expected to advance two levels today."

"That was really well-hidden... Why didn't you warn me sooner? You top-tier servers are still working so hard."

"I wonder how the ten major districts are doing now... What exactly does this so-called natural disaster look like?"

Not only were outsiders unaware of it, but even the players in the bottom ten districts themselves initially did not notice anything unusual.

The official Dragon Han team relocated players from the Legion Guild in the last ten regions to the real world to observe whether any changes would occur.

However, even after the rain of experience had fallen for some time, the group showed no outward signs of abnormality.

Everyone immediately felt relieved:

"Is it really true, as some speculate, that leaving the game will avert disaster? That seems far too easy."

"I have a feeling it won't be that simple... otherwise, this punishment would be easier than the previous state of weakness."

Just then, the gathered crowd suddenly became agitated.

In the real world.

Some players' bodies began to twist and Mutation Tier —some grew thick hair, some developed scale-like patterns, and some even had their facial features shift, gradually losing their human form...

"Emergency control! They're mutating!"

The monitors immediately issued a warning, but it was too late.

The mutated player suddenly transforms into Frenzy monster, lunging at all living things around him!

"Fire!"

"Suppress them immediately!"

The security personnel on site immediately engaged in combat.

The monsters' strength is similar to that of the original players, and the members of the District 77 who are being observed are originally elites of the Junfang, and their attacks are fierce after the Mutation Tier.

Many defenders were caught off guard and killed because they underestimated the fighting strength.

After a fierce battle, most of the monsters were finally subdued.

A few, confined in the same space, still killed each other.

Researchers noted that monsters that had devoured their own kind or humans were more difficult to control; they roared and struggled incessantly, their eyes filled with bloodlust, making them indistinguishable from wild beasts.

"Immediately issue an alert to the God's Domain and the real world: Players in the Cataclysmic Zone may be corrupted at any time. Everyone must be vigilant, especially those living together!"

Because the zones in the God's Domain are determined based on registration time and initial geographical location, members of the same family may not be in the same zone.

Thirty-three-year-old "Sixties Era" is an ordinary member of the "Excavator Guild". The District 3 where he works are not only safe, but also benefit from his experience.

However, his family members were not in the same region as him—his father and sister were registered in the fourth region, which was one of the ten regions affected by this natural disaster, because they registered a little later.

"Don't be too anxious; natural disasters are beyond your control."

"Being sad won't help. We should focus on improving our strength so that we can help them in the future."

The guild's regular raid group was out clearing monsters during the experience boost period when they noticed he was distracted and tried to comfort him.

"I understand... but they're struggling through the cataclysm right now, while I'm comfortably leveling up here... Maybe I should log off and join them."

"Foolish! Look at the District 3, who isn't online right now? Quitting now will result in losing an entire level of experience. You absolutely can't be so impulsive!"

Players from other regions were incredibly envious of them, and now someone was actually going to quit the game—if word got out, it would probably infuriate everyone around them.

Unbeknownst to "the Sixties Era," his most cherished family member was lingering outside his bedroom door.

The father and daughter who were originally huddled on the sofa in fear and anxiety have long since been transformed into monsters.

When monsters sense the presence of humans in the same space, they often pounce on the living people first, and then fight each other.

Then two bloated and grotesque figures slowly blocked his doorway.

Meanwhile, the Sixties Era in the room is lying in a gaming pod wearing a motion-sensor helmet...

Gao Linzhi looked at the chaotic world on Earth.

To be honest, he hadn't expected the Skyfall Game to be so cruel.

Players cannot physically enter the game world, meaning that even the slightest anomaly in the real world could be fatal.

But upon closer reflection, I can understand it.

Because in the world of Blue Star Corporate World, the Skyfall Game is the one that invaded the Skyfall Game world.

The indigenous people borne all the heavy costs, while the invaders paid the price mainly in the infighting among their own people.

Moreover, the game itself is very cruel.

Don't forget, Gao Linzhi himself has been hunted down by the company multiple times.

If he hadn't been cheating, he would have been gone in a heartbeat.

This game is invading reality. Since it has the word "invading" in it, it means that it's not a free lunch.

If you're not dead, you have to fight tooth and nail.

Just like being born into poverty, if you weren't born into a generation, you have to work hard to be part of that generation.

The announcement pages for all regions were simultaneously engulfed by a blood-red system warning:

"A cataclysmic event has struck! Players will lose their humanity and be transformed into monsters!"

"Players, please be sure to avoid monster attacks in the real world!"

Players whose home address is among the top ten in the server region, please log off immediately!

The scrolling crimson text plunged the entire <God's Domain> into deathly silence.

The forum instantly exploded:

"This is insane! Turning people into monsters? I need to quit the game right now! My house must be destroyed!"

"But I'm claiming the limited-time experience reward!"

"Log off now? We'd lose so much money we'd be spitting blood!"

"Still thinking about the rewards? The official announcement said that players from the first ten servers will be given priority to transfer to the shelter and log in together!"

"It seems all players need to log off immediately!"

"Yes, do not log in until the natural disaster is over. Just wait 24 hours!"

"What about after 24 hours? Will the mutated people be able to recover? I heard that monsters have already killed many people..."

"That's something that will give the higher-ups a headache."

In the District 3, players who were originally immersed in the rain of experience points had no choice but to force themselves offline to survive.

Large guilds have already organized their members in real life to log into the game collectively within the Safe Zone.

"Six, sixty, hurry... hurry up and log out of the game!"

"That's right! Log off immediately and take good care of yourself!"

The members of the "Excavator" guild were no longer as relaxed as before, anxiously urging "the Sixties Era" to hurry up.

Living in the same city as monsters is dangerous enough, but this person is separated from monsters by only one door!

A chill ran down his Sixties Era as he prepared to execute the offline command, but his body suddenly trembled violently—

A tearing pain exploded throughout my body, and then my consciousness sank into boundless darkness...

His teammates only saw his face suddenly contort, and his whole body explode into particles of light and dissipate like shattered glass.

"Is this... is this a normal logout?" someone asked in a trembling voice.

When a player goes offline, their body should gradually fade away, but what just happened was clearly a disintegrating annihilation.

"His name is grayed out in my friends list..."

"Could it be... that I'm dead? Holy crap!"

In the real world, in the Sixties Era, people lay on beds soaked in blood, their heads missing.

Two monstrous creatures were tearing at each other madly beside the bed, their crimson eyes filled with nothing but boiling bloodlust.

"Immediately mobilize personnel to conduct door-to-door searches in Capital and other cities, especially targeting monsters that have already injured people; on-site killing is permitted."

Inside the Kyoto Shelter, some players have already rejoined the game under the protection of the military.

Despite the chaos outside, this remains a relatively safe landing point.

Players who logged back in found the atmosphere heavy—a chilling, oppressive feeling permeated the air.

What's wrong with you?

No one responded to the joy of their previous advancement.

"I heard many people died... some players were attacked by monsters in their homes..."

"Hiss--" Players in the top ten servers used to feel that time flew by in the game, but now it feels like an eternity.

Everyone was worried about what might happen in the real world during their login session, and they frequently forced themselves offline to check the situation.

Players outside the top ten servers went even further—they remained in reality, waiting for the natural disaster to pass in 24 hours.

No one knows how many demons lurk in the shadows, nor can they be sure if their hiding place is safe.

Although there are Safe Zone, they haven't figured out which is the system Safe Zone and which is the human-caused Safe Zone.

The former will not have monsters attacking it, nor will it spawn monsters.

Once a monster mutates, it will leave the Safe Zone.

The latter relies solely on manpower to ensure safety.

Various cities and emergency departments have launched a registration and investigation of player information, including wealthy residential areas like Little Cedar District.

Zheng Guohua and his family are waiting for staff to come to their home to register.

Jiang Donglai and his family had already gone to the official shelter in Ling City to land together.

Their District 1 region, belongs to the top ten and enjoys special protection during the game.

"Dad, should we notify that gentleman?"

"I'm worried he might..."

Zheng Yingjie was worried about the potential friction between Zhang Mingzhen and the authorities.

Indeed, conflict should be avoided if possible.

"When the officials arrive later, we might as well offer a reminder."

"I don't think the staff at Dragon Han would be completely unprepared; they should at least have some basic information about that person."

The thought of staying here for a whole day made Zheng Yingcai feel uneasy.

These days, not logging into the game for a day feels like a waste of time.

"Unable to connect for 24 hours!"

"I haven't participated in today's faction battle yet, what should I do?"

"You're still thinking about the game at a time like this? But you high-level players really can't afford to fall behind."

"Your level is already low, and if your combat strength doesn't keep up, you might be expelled from the guild," Zheng Yingjie said, habitually scolding his younger brother.

"Once the official registration is complete, you can access the game from your living room."

"My father and I are holding on in reality."

"Finish your daily tasks and come relieve us as soon as possible. Our battlefield missions are still pending."

"Hmm, two guards should be enough."

Soon after, official registration personnel arrived at their residence.

The three-person group arrangement is likely to be in case of emergencies.

The person in charge of registration was a young soldier with a still-childish face, who looked no more than a teenager.

"Hello, I'm the person in charge of registration for this area."

"Is it true that your household has three members?"

Please fill in your route zone and occupation information here.

Taking the opportunity, Zheng Yingjie probed, "Excuse me, do all residents in this area need to register?"

The young soldier replied solemnly, "That's natural."

"Time is of the essence; we must collect as much basic information as possible about all the residents of the city."

Zheng Guohua smiled and said, "Comrade, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"The player in the villa next door doesn't like being disturbed by outsiders, we can guarantee he'll be perfectly fine."

"Could you please report his special circumstances to your superiors? Outsiders are usually not allowed to approach the area around his villa."

Honestly, if even that person posed a safety risk, they probably would have met with misfortune long ago.

The young soldier frowned slightly. "How can we not conduct door-to-door verification? Registration must be done in person; there are no exceptions."

"You don't need to say anything more about this situation; I will personally handle it later."

Zheng Yingcai interjected dismissively, "I suggest you consult your superiors first."

"Otherwise, this could very well become a major oversight in your work, and don't blame us for not warning you beforehand."

"You—" The young soldier was about to get angry when his older comrade beside him raised his hand to stop him.

How can you be sure that family is not in danger?

The older inspector was around thirty years old and had a more composed demeanor.

Zheng Yingcai spread his hands. "We cannot prove it to you."

"You can go to his house now and try; if you can get in, that's your skill."

The older person fell into thought.

He comes from a main force unit in Ling City and is the leader of this squad.

Seeing that the family was being earnest, he decided to consult his superiors first, just to be on the safe side.

Through the internal communication system, he contacted his superior, Zhang Yu, the manager of the Ling City Command Corps.

Upon assuming his new post in Ling City, Zhang Yu's first priority was to compile statistics on the distribution of power within the city.

Ling City is now a key city in Dragon Han, with a status almost comparable to that of the Capital.

Besides the large number of guilds and organizations that gather here, there is another crucial factor: the number one player in the game is here.

In fact, in Dragon Han's eyes, such figures should be controlled and made into pawns in his game.

Whether out of public interest or personal motives, they should not have allowed Zhang Mingzhen to remain free.

However, reality is not like imagination.

Unfortunately, there was an alien overlord above them, which restrained them and prevented them from attacking the top characters in the game at will.

After all, this could very well affect the alien's gaming mood.

Since Zhang Mingzhen has such powerful abilities, it means he is someone chosen by the aliens.

Before taking up his post, he received clear instructions: do not provoke the person codenamed "Chongxing," and learned about the person's general personality and style of doing things.

Although there was a previous agreement not to investigate their information without authorization, it is still necessary to keep track of their basic movements.

The internal confidential files concerning Chongxing are only accessible to a select few, and Zhang Yu is one of them.

Upon arriving in Ling City, he immediately instructed the command team to secretly monitor the situation in Little Shirt District, and any special reports related to the area should be submitted directly to him.

Therefore, when the command team reported the request from the registrar of Little Shirt District, he instantly understood the key point. In his busyness, he had overlooked this person!